1. Field of the Invention At least a dozen uses or applications exist to meet needs and perform tasks around a home and garden including combination features of the tool being used basically in the following scopes of endeavor:
(A) As a gutter or spouting clean-out tool usable for the following:
(a) narrow "K" type gutters; PA2 (b) wide "K" type gutters; PA2 (c) narrow half-round gutters; and PA2 (d) wide half-round gutters as well as also including most other common types of gutter or spouting cross-section configurations; PA2 (e) as a weeder in a garden; PA2 (f) as a ditcher; PA2 (g) as a hoe; PA2 (h) as a spreader; PA2 (i) as a row-forming tool; PA2 (j) as a seed-bed tool; PA2 (k) as a furrowing tool; PA2 (l) as a deep-planting tool for bulbs, sets (onion, for example), and small plants; PA2 (m) as a blending tool for mortar; PA2 (n) as a hand tiller for mulch and dry chemicals; PA2 (o) as a hand tamping tool for soil or sand; PA2 (p) as a planting lateral-spacing-gauge tool; PA2 (q) as a planting depth-gauge tool; and PA2 (r) as a scraper.
(B) Additional light-duty uses or applications include the combination features of the tool being used for the following:
2. Description of the Prior Art
The closest prior art would seem to be a small or miniature garden hoe having a wooden handle and a face plate possibly including a three- or four-prong portion integral therewith as commercially available in hardware stores and/or garden centers.
The following five patents relate to gutter-cleaning tools generally:
(1) U.S. Pat. No. 3,626,542-Dispain dated Dec. 14, 1971 discloses a gutter-cleaning tool having configurations for both the regular type of gutter and the half-round type of gutter configurations as shown by FIG. 2 thereof for a box-type or square gutter with flat bottom and by FIG. 3 thereof for a half-round gutter.
(2) U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,267-Swannie dated Jan. 7, 1975 discloses a gutter-cleaning tool including a flat blade which is contoured to fit the profile of the gutter (box-type or square gutters) and which is adjustable to various angles.
(3) U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,780-Dilley dated Mar. 25, 1980 discloses a gutter-cleaning tool including a handle having axially telescopic pole parts in an intermediate location between opposite double-arm paddle structure along with paddles having different vertical height to facilitate manipulation as to gutter cross-struts.
(4) U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,224-Hansen et al dated Nov. 3, 1981 discloses an implement for cleaning leaves and other debris from overhead gutters or eaves using a handle to position a bracket at a 45.degree. angle holding a one-piece tool having a U-center-section and opposing legs having lower free ends from which cleaning blades extend each having a free scooping end to dig into compacted leaves and debris to force the same onto the blades.
(5) U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,940-Moore dated Jan. 19, 1982 discloses an apparatus to clean an overhead gutter using a stationary first fork and a rotatable second fork as well as a pusher blade operable by a control rod and crank shaft using gutter engageable rollers.
The following patents are of general interest to show multi-purpose tools:
(6) U.S. Pat. No. 3,116,796-Miljan dated Jan. 7, 1964 discloses a multi-purpose agricultural hand tool including a hammer head, sharp knife edges and cultivating hoe with flute structure as a stiffening means for a blade.
(7) U.S. Pat. No. 630,924-Pickens dated Aug. 15, 1899 discloses a trowel for a bricklayer or mason and having a measuring scale on the handle thereof in a manner representative of an early multi-purpose hand tool.
(8) U.S. Pat. No. 1,029,767-Remington dated June 18, 1912 discloses a combination tool including a shoe horn, tape measure, shoe button-hook end and foot-size measure.
(9) U.S. Pat. No. 215,077-Stone dated May 6, 1879 discloses a multi-purpose gardening tool having various configurations thereon including rake-teeth, ordinary hoe and notch to pull weeds.
(10) U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,570-Otken dated Oct. 31, 1978 shows a multi-purpose tool convertible into a rake, shovel, broom, fork, squeegee attachment, etc. as shown in FIGS. 1-10 thereof.